The Network Newsletter – ebulletin 6, 22 September 2008
Tackling social exclusion – Libraries, Museums, Archives and Cultural and Heritage Organisations
Impact database
http://www.impact.arts.gla.ac.uk/
(Source: MLA North East News eBulletin 234, 1 September 2008)
The Impact database is a bibliographical resource relating to research on the social and economic effects of arts, culture and major events. It is being developed and maintained by the Centre for Cultural Policy Research at the University of Glasgow, and has been commissioned, and is funded, by the Scottish Government.
Research themes include studies on: arts and culture; arts, culture and education; arts, culture and inclusion; arts and health; arts, culture and audience development; arts, culture and the economy; cultural tourism; major cultural events; and major sporting events, with an emphasis on research published since 2000.
“Their Past Your Future – Young Offenders and Archives unite for groundbreaking exhibition”
http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/nwh_gfx_en/ART59978.html
(Source: MLA Yorkshire News E-bulletin, September 2008)
Brief outline of a TPYF project which has resulted in an exhibition currently travelling to libraries in North Yorkshire; it is the result of an innovative programme that has brought together the resources held by North Yorkshire County Council’s Record Office with the latent talents of “lads” from the local young offenders institute.
Tackling social exclusion – Government, Government Agencies and Local Government
Fairness: a new contract with the public
http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/Documents/DLRresponses/Fairness_Final.pdf
The Equalities & Human Rights Commission has responded to Framework for a fairer future: the Equality Bill and has taken the opportunity to set out its aims and work programme which include focusing not only on equality but also on issues around poverty, pay and the effects of globalisation. It is also calling for a new contract between the Government and “the public”.
The Equality Bill is available at: http://www.equalities.gov.uk/publications/FRAMEWORK%20FAIRER%20FUTURE.pdf.
Sex and power 2008
http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/Documents/EHRC/sexandpower08.pdf
NB pdf is 2.6 Mb. There is a brief summary and links to further information at: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/projects/workingbetter/sexandpower/Pages/variationSiteDefault.aspx
You will probably have seen media coverage of this report from the EHRC – “This year's Sex and Power report indicates that the wait for women to be appointed to senior positions in the judiciary has crept up by 15 years while women in FTSE 100 companies will be waiting in the wings a further eight years.”
Uniting Britain’s divided cities
Available to download from: http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=news.story.page&obj_id=145952
Conservative Party’s five-point programme for “tackling the social gulf that exists between rich and poor in our cities”. The plan includes:
· Specialist welfare-to-work programmes in the poorest neighbourhoods
· Extra resources for improving education in deprived communities
· Restoring community cohesion and respect
· Targeted action to tackle crime and gun culture
· A stronger role for the voluntary sector in tackling disadvantage.
“Mainstreaming community cohesion in Leicester”
http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=8644592
New page on the IDeA website, which outlines how Leicester City Council have mainstreamed their community cohesion work – including “the role of libraries in integrating new arrivals, asylum seekers and refugees and helping them to get work experience of libraries.”
Governance of Britain – Our Shared Values
(Source: Framework for the Future August update, thanks to Sarah Wilkie at MLA)
MLA has been approached by the Ministry of Justice to encourage the public library network to facilitate participation in the debate about a statement of shared values. The Ministry writes:
The Government is committed to reinvigorating democracy and building a new relationship between Government and citizens. In his first speech in Parliament, the Prime Minister announced that there would be a National Debate about the values that we share and what unites us as a nation. The Government believes that we should be clearer about the values that people living in Britain share and that the process of discussing these values is as important as any final statement. The Government wants to hear from lots of different people across the country.
The Government believes that libraries have a key role to play in this debate and are keen for libraries to use their good links within their local communities to hold a discussion with their members. We have put together a pack which aims to assist libraries who wish to take part, to hold a discussion. Packs are available by request from .
Nine good practices on active inclusion in Europe
http://www.eukn.org/binaries/eukn/eukn/practice/2008/09/nine-good-practices-def.pdf [NB pdf is 7+ Mb]
(Source: Thanks to Kevin Harris for alerting me to this)
Case studies of good practice in ‘active inclusion’.
“The European Commission provides a comprehensive approach for active inclusion. This approach is based on three principles that can be applied to achieve active inclusion of people at the bottom end of the labour market.
These three principles are:
· Income support
· Active integration
· Social services of high quality.”
Tackling social exclusion – Other Agencies
Makaton resources
(Source: Simon Wallace, Southend)
Makaton – the Makaton Charity has an online shop (see: http://www.makaton.org/cgi-bin/ccp51/cp-app.cgi?pg=store) which sells a range of materials for people with different levels of proficiency in Makaton.
Amongst these are two titles in the “Wizodd” series, Hello and Wash, featuring characters created by the artist Ian Davy Brown in a series of storybooks co-written with Teresa Cutmore, a Senior Makaton Tutor from Southend (see: http://www.wizodd.co.uk/).
Copies of the books can also be bought direct from Teresa. Her contact details are:
Teresa Cutmore, 60 Lonsdale Road, Southend on Sea, Essex SS2 4LX
Tel 07986123959
Email .
Women and poverty
http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/2186-women-poverty-policy.pdf
Report of a research project which worked with women in poverty living in Birmingham, Cardiff and London. Two key findings are:
· Women with experience of living in poverty are well-placed to articulate the policy changes which can most effectively improve their situations.
· The project participants defined ‘poverty’ in complex and interlocking ways that went beyond a lack of money and financial security. They defined poverty as a human rights issue that:
o impacts upon their children and their physical and mental health;
o causes feelings of social isolation; and
o limits their prospects for advancement in employment or education.
There is also a JRF “Findings” summary at: http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/2219.asp.
Homophobic bullying and human rights
http://www.iars.org.uk/iars%20papers%20&%20projects/Papers/Lewis/Ex%20Sum%20IARS%20YEP2.pdf [NB pdf is 1.7 Mb]
Executive summary of an important new piece of young-people-led research by Independent Academic Research Studies, which shows the levels of bullying that LGB – and all – young people face: “Homophobic bullying can affect any young person, straight or LGB.”
Financial inclusion and ethnicity …
http://www.runnymedetrust.org/uploads/publications/pdfs/FinancialInclusion-2008.pdf
This “agenda for research and policy action” has been produced by the Runnymede Trust. “This review finds significant indicative data that Black and minority ethnic (BME) groups’ experience of disadvantage is impacting their access to financial institutions and services.”
Health & Wellbeing issues – Government, Government Agencies and Local Government
Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2008/9789241563703_eng.pdf
NB pdf is 7.28 Mb. There is an executive summary (4.25 Mb) available to download from: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2008/WHO_IER_CSDH_08.1_eng.pdf.
Produced by the WHO’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health, this major report has received a lot of media coverage with its forthright message “Social justice is a matter of life and death.”
The Commission calls for three principles for action:
· “Improve the conditions of daily life – the circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age.
· Tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money, and resources – the structural drivers of those conditions of daily life – globally, nationally, and locally.
· Measure the problem, evaluate action, expand the knowledge base, develop a workforce that is trained in the social determinants of health, and raise public awareness about the social determinants of health.”
Listening and responding to communities: a brief guide to Local Involvement Networks
Available to download from: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_087758
A Local Involvement Network [LINk] is being set up in every local authority in England, that has responsibility for social services.
“A LINk is an independent network made up of a mixture of both local individuals and organisations – such as voluntary organisations and community groups.
Each LINk is responsible for finding out what people want from their health and care services – such as hospitals, GPs, care homes and pharmacists. They are also responsible for monitoring the care that services provide and reporting their findings.”
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